Today we use advanced technology to explore all sort of astronomical aspects behind the motion of the planets. Have you ever wondered how people were predicting time accurately in the 18th century? Jantar Mantar in India is one such wonder which can answer all such questions.
Over the past hundreds of years, many scientists and astrologers have used Jantar Mantar for their studies. Today it’s considered as one of the ”must-go-to” places for anyone visiting India. The word Jantar Mantar means ” instruments for measuring the harmony of the heavens” in Sanskrit terms. According to Indian history, Jantar Mantar has instruments that can graph the path of the astronomical universe. The flawless accuracy of data even after 300 years is unquestionably a wonder itself.
Jantar Mantar, located in Jaipur, is an astronomical observatory to accumulate astronomical tables which would help predict time. There are 5 different Jantar Mantars in India and placed in New Delhi, Jaipur, Varanasi, Ujjain and Mathura. The one in Jaipur is the largest and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Als it has the world’s largest stone sundial. It also has a collection of 19 architectural astronomical instruments built by the founder and this sundial predicts the local time to this day. Overall this is considered a ”remarkable and curious creation”.
Jantar Mantar Jaipur was established by Maharaja Jai Singh II, the Hindu Rajput Ruler of Ambar. He was known as a brilliant scholar that had a great interest in mathematics, science and astronomy. He built the observatories to study plants and time. He founded the city of Jaipur in the same year as when Jantar Mantar in Jaipur was founded. M.J. Singh also built 19 astronomical instruments. These instruments are used for astrology since it was one of his hobbies. The Samrat Yantra Sundial, one of his instruments, is currently the world’s largest stone sundial.
Jantar Mantar in Jaipur was built in 1728.The most widely accepted completion year to this day is 1734. It was built from 1728–1734. Even though we know the dates surprisingly, there aren’t many records from the amount or kinds of people that put work into this project. In Jaipur city, there are temples, ponds, palaces, gardens etc., but Jantar Mantar is one of the most known and oldest locations in the city. Jai Singh II built four other observatories between 1724 and 1735.
All the Jantar Mantars are in separate parts of India each having all or some of the 19 instruments. The whole site itself sits on 4.59 acres of land. Jantar Mantar in Jaipur is located within the central sector of the city Jaipur. Jaipur is located in the Indian state, Rajastan.
These types of designs back in the day required some thought and creativity. It was built under the rule of M.J. Singh II and very carefully. The sundial has a specific way it needs to follow to calculate local time. The shadow of the triangle is positioned in north-south direction with an angle. It is identical to the latitude of the location. As the shadow moves, the angle travels in equal distances in equal intervals of time on east and west quadrants. This movement is used in the calculation of local time. Jantar Mantar is designed in different ways to figure out simple astronomy.
Jantar Mantar was built to determine the position of planetary bodies and measure time. MJS II was commissioned by Muhammed Shah to rectify calculations in Islamic zij tables. After a lot of research from European and Persian nations, he and many others constructed stone made instruments. These will be known as the 19 instruments in Jantar Mantar in Jaipur. It was also used as an observatory for astrologers and scientists in India.
Jantar Mantar still exists with the help of renovation. In 1857–1858, it was damaged by fighting during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Restoration work was undertaken under the supervision of Maharaja Ram Singh in 1901. Parts of Jantar Mantar can’t be restored. Currently, people only visit Jantar Mantar for pleasure and its not used as a working observatory for scientists. The best time to visit is 12:00 noon when the sun is above the land. The reason is that it’s easy to understand the process of interpretation of the readings of each instrument under the sun’s view. Jaipur government officials are trying to restore and protect Jantar Mantar due to weathering, vandalism, tear of materials, etc. The most urgent issue is the loss of fine markings on the instruments which are wearing out. Some of the yantras (instruments) including the sundial are still in use to forecast weather and crop yields in which visitors can watch. The sundial still tracks accurate time to two seconds.
Jantar Mantar is still important today because it has changed the way people see India and its history. All the instruments including the sundial shaped astrological culture and history with their amazing calculations. We should protect Jantar Mantar in order to preserve the historic function of these extraordinary instruments. Peoples’ actions are deteriorating Jantar Mantar to this day. We shouldn’t just learn about Jantar Mantar. We shouldn’t just visit Jantar Mantar for the same of completing our itineraries.. But we should also remember Jantar Mantar as a part of India’s legacy.
